The Arava Desert: from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Eilat - entertainment and excursions. The Arava Desert: from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Eilat - entertainment and excursions Beaches, water parks, yachts, surfing: water activities and attractions in Tel Aviv and the center of Israel T
Going along the protected paths, you will discover many secrets that the ancient desert has kept for centuries.
The Arava Desert is beautiful at any time of the year and gives the feeling of moving to another dimension, where even time slows down. She is not at all lifeless, as it seems at first glance. There is something to see here ...
In the Timna reserve you will see unique sculptures carved from sandstone and rocks by nature itself - the Mushroom and the Pillars of Solomon. The place itself is very ancient: the remains of the mines where copper was mined 6,000 years ago ("the mines of King Solomon"), fragments of the temple of the goddess Hathor carved into the rock have been preserved. A deposit of semi-precious two-color Eilat stone was discovered in Timna. The reserve can be hiked, cycled or jeeped. There is a lake where you can swim by boat, a Bedouin tent where you will be offered a cup of coffee. Children will be interested in seeing samples of ancient coins and filling a glass bottle with layers of colored sand.
In the High Bar Nature Reserve, you have the opportunity to observe the inhabitants of the desert that appeared on earth three thousand years ago. Here you can see the Arabian and Saharan Oryx, Addax living in freedom. The closed area contains predators - leopards, sand foxes, striped hyenas, caracals, wolves, forest cats.
If you find yourself in Eilat during the period of bird migration, you will have the opportunity to see many rare species in the bird sanctuary. However, in any case, it is worth visiting this picturesque park with an artificial lake, where permanent inhabitants of the southern region also live.
There are many kibbutzim in Arava, where you can not only have a good rest, but also learn about the peculiarities of people's life in the desert and the latest technologies, as well as have fun by making fascinating and very informative trips through the surrounding gorges and canyons. There are many routes - on foot, on camels, jeeps, ATVs, tractors. The rest is a matter of your choice. Having set out on a journey through protected trails, you will discover many secrets that the ancient desert has kept for centuries.
Route: "Four states, red canyon, cheese and wine". (tel .: 054-9798966)
"Ecology and new types of energy" (Kibbutz Lotan, tel .: 08-6356935, 054-9799030)
"Entertainment in Timna Park" (tel .: 08-6316756)
Photo by: This file was originally uploaded by Urilei from Hebrew Wikipedia - Moved from he.wikipedia to Wikimedia Commons Attribution, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22523271
During the days of Passah, Kibbutz Kfar Masaryk has prepared three exciting journeys for you Each of them promises you many pleasant and sometimes unexpected minutes.
Leaving Egypt ... in the kibbutz Kfar Masaryk It is one thing to read the Easter Haggadah, and quite another to experience it for yourself on an exciting game journey on the theme of leaving Egypt, which is held from April 24 to 26 at the kibbutz Kfar Masaryk located in the north ...Beaches, water parks, yachts, surfing: water activities and attractions in Tel Aviv and the center of Israel Tel Aviv is a seaside city, which means that swimming, water sports, yachting and fishing are favorite activities of the locals, and they are delighted to invite all guests to join them.
Tel Aviv is a seaside city, which means swimming, water sports, yachting and fishing are favorite activities of the locals, and they are delighted to invite all guests to join them. Along the entire coast - from Herzliya to Rishon LeZion - there is a strip of comfortable beaches, ...The Arava Desert is located between the Negev mountain ranges in the west and the Edom Mountains in the east. It, starting south of the Dead Sea, extends to the Gulf of Eilat. Width no more than 15 km., Length - over 160 km. Here is the state border between Israel and Jordan.
Climate
Deserts different in its northern and southern parts. So, in the north, dry and hot summers and rather cool (from 18 ° С during the day to -3-5 ° С at night) winter. It often rains here in winter. In the southern part of the desert, rain is rare even in winter; there is constant heat, dustand sandy winds.The main soil of the desert is marl: a mixture of clay and loess.Despite the arid climate, the Arava has a lot of vegetation, incl. tamarix, saxaul, various types of desert palms and acacias.
Population
the Arava desert - about 55 thousand people, all of them are concentrated in several villages and one city - where the largest part of the population lives. The largest of the villages has a population of about 700 people. The Sdom-Eilat highway is laid along the entire desert from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea, connecting local residents with all of Israel.
Main occupation
the inhabitants of the villages - developed agriculture. It is in the Arava that the big annualagricultural exhibition DeserTech ... Farms in the Arava Desert provide more than 60% of all Israeli exports of vegetables and flowers. Today, many farms in Arava specialize in the cultivation of fashionable organic products - after all, there are much fewer weeds and insects in the desert, there is no need to use insecticides and other chemicals. It is located in the desert. Environmental Research Institute “Arava”. It carries out developments in the field of agricultural innovation and ecology and energy: solar panels, installations for the generation of natural gas and desalination of water for irrigation.
sights
- Eilat Is a world-class resort on the Red Sea.
- Reserve where in natural conditions there are predators, birds and snakes (more than 50 species) mentioned in the Bible.
- National parkwith unique relief and landscapes, ancient copper mines, temples and neolithic rock paintings. It is here that the well-known"Eilat stone" .
- Ein-Hatseva , where archaeological excavations have uncovered the ruins of the city of Tamar, built by King Solomon in the 10th century. BC NS.
Information
- Hebrew: מדבר הערבה
- Location: Eilat
- Population: about 60 thousand people.
"Purpose of your visit?" “The Yoga Festival in Arava,” I answer to the Israeli customs officer, and only then I begin to understand that the Arava is the very Arabian desert through which Moses led the sons of Israel for 40 years, until the population was completely renewed. Today, the territory of the desert in the Jordan Basin, where 2,000 years ago one could get lost and abyss, is replete with signs and signs for the unintelligible. Hiking and cycling trails are everywhere. Climbing clamps are screwed into the rocks. Everywhere, except for gorges, 3G catches better than in a hotel. In the campsites, someone invisible is cleaning up after visiting tourists. New times - new miracles. Instead of the Old Testament romance, the desert offers a modern person silence and an opportunity to take a break from their own kind. Think. Overestimate. Meditate. It is especially good to do this at dawn in the Timna Valley (Arava Desert) or on the edge of the Makhtesh Ramon Crater (Negev Desert) - the largest crater in the world. There is a third - the Jewish one, but we did not reach it, being stuck in the town of Mitspe Ramon at an altitude of 900 m above sea level.
Three years ago, it was a workers' settlement of standard construction, of which there are millions in the world. A real backwater. And maybe that's why (well, because the landscape around looks like the surface of Mars from NASA satellites) disappointed top managers, businessmen and creative people began to move from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to Mitspe Ramon. They have opened vegetarian cafes and shops selling dates, organic vegetables and goat's milk. Have established cultural life... The largest astronomical observatory in Israel is located near the city. In August, when the Perseid meteor shower "comes", people from all over the country come to Mitzpe Ramon. At night, they gather at the stadium to listen to lectures by famous scientists and observe the celestial phenomenon. For the sake of this flash mob, the authorities even turn off the lights in the city. Another gathering place for fans of astronomy is at the foot of the Solomon Pillars in National park Timna. Starfall is also clearly visible there. The remaining 364 nights of the year, the gigantic rocks, on which the drawings of primitive man have been preserved, are effectively illuminated by searchlights.
Deserts occupy 60% of Israel's territory. They are balanced by three seas - Red, Dead and Mediterranean
In Israel, everything is close by. But not enough to drive into the desert for just a day. It is better to stay for a couple of nights in one of the kibbutz villages, which are enough in both the Negev and the Arava. A guesthouse type "like a camp site" costs from 100 to 200 dollars per night, depending on the season and the level of comfort.
During the day you can practice yoga or, taking a coffee suitcase, make forays into the desert, and at night burn a fire in a place for "Zul" (from Hebrew it translates as "calmness", "carefree"). This is the name of the corner where the locals brought a couple of old armchairs, a sofa, books and a hookah for a pleasant stay. The main rule is not to litter or touch other people's firewood. And so, please, use it - it's cold in the desert at night, like in outer space.
Practice
VISA: You do not need a visa to Israel for up to 90 days (but you should have a hotel reservation or a copy of the inviting person's ID, as well as medical insurance and a printed air ticket with you).
WHEN TO GO: All year round except summer months.
FLIGHT: Direct flights to Tel Aviv have Aeroflot, El Al, Transaero.
INTERESTING: From 15 to 22 March, Eilat hosts a festival of spring bird migration. Bustards, pharaoh eagle owls, owls, Egyptian and Nubian nightjars, hazel grouses, wheats and other very rare birds will arrive.
Photo: Getty Images, Israel Ministry of Tourism
Along the Jordan-Israel border, on both sides of the Jordan River, lies the Arawa Desert, Wadi el Arab.
It lies in the Jordan Basin - a deep gorge with a length of 166 km.
The northern edge rests against the Dead Sea, the southern edge - against the Red Sea.
The average width of the desert reaches 10-15 km. The maximum is 32 km in the central part and only 5 km closer to the south. The area of Arava is 6% of the entire territory of Israel.
The Arava is locked between two mountain ranges - in the west by the desert highlands of the Negev, in the east by the reddish Edom mountains of Jordan. The sandy valley was cut by the dry beds of the wadi rivers that flow from the mountains in winter.
Geological features of the Arava
The territory of Wadi al-Arab is part of the Syrian-African geological fault. It stretches from Central Africa to Asia Minor.
Millions of years ago, the plain was the sea. The movement of geological plates and erosion processes have formed a unique natural area. Limestones and sandstones of the seabed have turned into hills and quaint mountains. Aquifers of salt and fresh water have formed underground.
Here is a special kind of soil - marl. It is a soft mixture of chalk, clay, loess. The streams of winter water rushing from the mountain ranges easily erode the surface of the plain.
Hence the relief, rugged terrain.
In most of the desert, the soils are salty and there are small lowlands with high salinity.
Climate
The amount of rain in the Arava is negligible - 20-50 mm per year (for comparison, 800 mm in the central part of Russia). This is ten times less than in other regions. Hence the dust, sandy winds, stifling heat in summer.
The climate of the northern part is close to the Mediterranean - dry, hot summers with temperatures of 40 ° C and higher. Winters are cool with precipitation. In December-January, the air warms up to 21 ° C during the day and cools down to 3-5 ° C at night.
The closer to the south of the Arava, the more it resembles a desert.
Nature
The nature pleases with an amazing variety for arid places - here the species of flora and fauna characteristic of Asia and Africa coexist. Numerous representatives of the Sahara prevail.
The species composition of vegetation depends on the conditions - there are biotopes of loose sands, salt marshes, rocks and stony plains. From time to time in the desert you come across oases with date palms. Umbrella acacias, tamarisks make Arava look like the African savannah.
A unique Chinese date or jujube with a crown height of 15 m grows next to the excavations of ancient Hatseva. Scientists did not agree on its age - it is two thousand years old, or a couple of centuries less.
Legend has it that Christ's crown of thorns was twisted from his branches.
In the last century, the British issued hunting licenses to shoot large animals more than their numbers were. And the desert was empty. Today, Israelis are concerned about the restoration of species diversity.
High Bar Nature Reserve has created conditions for the life of fifty species of animals ever mentioned in the Bible and living here. It is considered an analogue of the Israeli park on Mount Carmel.
The discovery took place in 1968, when scientists sounded the alarm - some representatives of the animal world, who had always populated the lands of the Negev and Arava deserts, began to disappear.
Today, employees are bred in the open area of the reserve and returned to wildlife rare animals. Among them are white oryx, kulans, onagers.
Population
Salinization of soils held back the settlement of the region. Growing vegetables and fruits on salt marshes in ancient times was impossible. And yet in the north of the ancient land there are traces of the civilization of the Nabataeans, the ancient Israelites. In the south, there were settlements of the ancient Egyptians and Midianites.
At the time of David 3 thousand years ago, fierce military clashes took place behind the Salt Hollow (Sdom salt marshes today) in the northern part of the desert. Caravans with spices and luxury goods traveled along the local narrow canyons. Those who controlled the road received a considerable bribe.
In 6 thousand BC. NS. people settled the Timna valley - sandstone rich in copper was mined with stone tools. Egyptians in the 12-14 centuries. BC NS. organized the world's first industrial copper production in Timna.
Today, 52 thousand people live in Arava. Most (47 thousand) in Eilat. To the north of it are scattered two dozen villages in which the rest live. The largest Yotvata has over 600 people.
The Sdom-Eilat highway runs from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea.
sights
It is located on the territory of Arava with a unique relief. Its attractions: ancient copper mines, the temple of the goddess Hathor, rock paintings of the Neolithic era.
Only here the gem of the Eilat stone is mined. Tourists are attracted by the unique alien landscapes of the National Park.
The city of Ein-Hatseva is located in the central part of the Arava. There are ruins in this place ancient city Tamar, built by Solomon in the 10th century. BC NS.
The large Hai-Bar Nature Reserve, next to Kibbutz Yotvata, consists of three parts: a predator center, a pavilion with artificial conditions for nocturnal predators, and a huge fenced area for herbivorous desert dwellers.
Agriculture
The nature of the region is extremely unsuitable for agriculture - salinization of the soil, scanty amount of precipitation, hot summer interferes. But winter in the desert is a blessing for farmers.
Few Russians know that Israeli vegetables and fruits are grown for us in the sands of the Negev and Arava. Israel is a leader in the world in the creation of innovative agricultural technologies. A testing ground for advanced research is located in Arava.
Ten farms, with a population of three thousand people, feed the population of Israel and produce 60% of vegetables and flowers for export.
In one of the driest and hottest regions of the country, farming is not easy. Land development began in the 50s. last century. We built dams to collect the streams of water from the mountains during the rains.
Irrigation pipes were laid to each seedling. Drip irrigation plays a key role.
The crops are covered from the sandy wind and the scorching sun with nets and special material. Commercial fish are grown in artificial reservoirs.
In 1968 the Institute for Environmental Research “Arava” was opened. Its employees develop ecological technologies. The main wealth of the desert is the sun. Its energy is used as a renewable source.
Scientists of the institute create devices for the energy independence of the region - new generation generators, solar panels, structures for natural gas production. By converting solar energy, water is desalinated for irrigation.
From the southern coast of the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Eilat stretches a valley and the Arava desert. Barak canyon occupies a very small part in the south of its arid area.
The above-mentioned part of the desert is only its Israeli part, the rest stretches and captures a large area of Jordanian land. Accordingly, the Israeli-Jordanian border runs across the desert. Its entire part is fully extended up to 166 km. along the valley.
These beautiful and sometimes dangerous slopes of the Barak gorge, with a narrow bottom, stretch from the 40th route and end in front of the road number 90, not far from a small town Paran. If you enter from the 90th road, then before entering the canyon, you can turn into a fruit and vegetable, mobile store. It is located right next to the Paran plantations, which can be seen from afar.
The river with the same name stretches along the canyon " Nahal Paran". Most of the time, the river remains dry, like most of the rest of the rivers in Israel.
During the dry season, these places are often visited by tourists and extreme travel enthusiasts. On dry ground, not only an SUV, but also cars can easily drive. Although, of course, I would not advise you to travel far on vehicles with a low suspension.
At the entrance from the 90th highway near not large hills, fences made of stones with a dug hole for debris and ash are arranged in a semicircle. In these "pockets" you can quite comfortably arrange a picnic and light a fire for barbecue. From the tops of the hills, there is a beautiful view of part of the Arava Desert.
Along the canyon itself, there are trails for travel, there are even special maps with routes. The most famous route “ Shvil Israel"Just takes place here. Route markers are well marked on posts or stones along the paths.